Growler pour at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that fades to nothing. No lacing on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, brandy, and wood. Taste is much the same with a slight alcohol kick and a woody finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer that is quite tasty and super easy to drink.

A: Look was very similar to regular Hunahpu's, as well as bourbon Hunahpu's, which made for some fun at the table. Very dark black with a very rich deep tan head and a pretty good amount of lacing.

S: The smell of brandy is immediately present alongside all of those other beautiful scents that come along with the regular version. It's quite nice and not overpowering, but at the same time I'm not sure it really complements the essence of the Hunahpu's all that much. Left me wondering whether a "Humidor Series" Hunahpu's would have been even more outstanding. Still, very beautiful nose that I won't actually complain about.

T: Very similar assessment to the nose. The brandy actually did work pretty well, and I think this is true more so for the taste than the nose; however, still not quite a perfect 5. Again, didn't like the taste as much as the standard Hunahpu's, as I felt that some of the more subtle flavors from the original version might have a bit lost.

M: Superb. Very thick and viscous and good carbonation for the style.

D: Very beautiful. Although not nearly as drinkable as the standard version, that one was well past the standard 5.0, so I have no problem giving that to the brandy version as well. Just a beautiful sipping beer.

I was thrilled to be able to finally try this one. I honestly did not think I was going to be able to get a hold of it, but lucked out. Served chilled and poured into a snifter.

The pour was dark as night, thick, viscous looking like motor oil with a light ring of tan around the edges that quickly faded and left behind no lacing to speak of. Just a thick, still, black liquid.

As I reach in for a sniff, warming comes through the air. Rich cocoa, light, very light hint of spice, oak, hints of vanilla and a light touch of tart fruit as it comes up to room temperature. Nicely done here. The depth of the profile seems to show no bounds. When compared to the regular Huna, this just seems to have less of the thick chocolate edge to it and more of the brandy shine through which is nice. As a side this also seems to have tempered the chili a touch as well. Really nicely done I have to say. Then the first sip rolls across the tongue with a gentleness that seems like I have longed for it forever. Really fine swirling vanilla and brandy notes are tucked away behind coffee and chocolate, I got a nice little boost of the chili on the palate at the end, nicely done again, and really brought it around full circle for me. Smooth, delicious, needed a bit fuller profile for me, but very well done.

Overall this was a great, great beer. For all the hype I was expecting a perfect beer, which this is not, but it is very, very good. Still dying to try the bourbon version, hopefully one day.

S: There's a slightly metallic note at first, but it seems to diminish as the beer sits in the glass. I get a lot of chocolate to begin with. The chili note is there, too, but is sort of overwhelmed by the oak, brandy, roast, and coffee.

T: Surprisingly oaky at the first sip. There's some nice brandy flavor here and the barrel provides some spicy notes and tannins. Quite a bit of milk chocolate and a nice chili flavor in the background.

M: The body is medium to full with a low, but smooth carbonation.

D: I think I actually still like the regular Hunahpu's the best, but this was quite good. I wouldn't turn down another glass of this.

Edit: New batches are amazing. Scores changed to reflect the later growler batches.

Original rating: 3.6

Thanks for sharing this rarity, Nick.

Black as pitch and quite viscous, there isn't much of a head, but it does have nice legs.

It smells strangely muddled. Bittersweet dark chocolate, a touch of tart apple, some leathery oxidation. The barrel aging seems to have actually simplified the beer and covered up most of the pepper, vanilla and cinnamon. As it warms, it becomes dominated by heavily roasted, tarry, almost burnt malt and sweet brandy. Not bad, but haphazard.

The apple brandy flavor comes through pretty strongly on the palate. It hints at apple, but it's more of an indistinguishable fruity sweetness. There's a little vanilla and oak, lots and lots of bitter baking chocolate, barely perceptible chili pepper. This is a huge, chewy imperial stout, almost Dark Lord-esque in viscosity. The finish is mildly boozy with lingering flavors of bitter chocolate, licorice, earthy oxidation and faint chili pepper. Barrel aging seems to have covered up the boldness of the adjunct ingredients in this beer, transforming it into something that's enjoyable but ultimately muddled. Perhaps Hunahpu's wasn't the best beer to put in a barrel. Pretty good, I enjoyed my glass, but it's not outstanding. There are a number of better and less rare barrel aged imperial stouts out there.

A - (Copied from my Bourbon Barrel Hunahpu's review) Looks like Hunahpu's - inky black body that is impervious to light, a finger of dark, dark, mocha foam that dissipates slowly to a ring and some haze and leaves a few spots of lace. For a beer that must be pushing 12-13% (11% is for regular Hunahpu's) it looks excellent.

S - Unlike the bourbon barrel edition, the brandy presence is not overpowering. It is instead well-integrated into the the incredible depth of the base beer. Rich chocolate cake, vanilla, a touch of peppery spice, earthy woodiness, and apple brandy. The combination is incredibly unique and utterly sublime.

T - Again, it's a wonderful combination of apple brandy, chocolate truffle, vanilla, and touches of cinnamon and chili peppers. Very woody finish, although it's hard to be totally objective as I had a ton of barrel-aged beers and the tannic aftertaste started to persist despite numerous glasses of water. Still, this was the best of all the Hunahpu's variants - the barrel wasn't overpowering like the bourbon version, yet it was enhanced with a complementary flavor of tart apples.

M - (Copied from my other Hunahpu's reviews) Very smooth, sticky, full body, that is chewy and viscous. Lowish carbonation, with a dry tannic finish and only light residual stickiness. Spot on for the style, and highly satisfying.

D - It's like having a rich dessert in beer format, but without the heaviness and extreme palate fatigue. Still, this beer has the same inhibitors as all variants of Hunahpu's - the richness of flavor and high ABV would keep me from downing this all night. Still, I was far more motivated to have multiple glasses of this one than the bourbon version. It was too bad the keg kicked so quickly. One of the best beers I've ever had - can't wait for the next batch.

I'm cautioning myself from giving this a perfect 5 but it is damn close. Nice body, medium, creamy, coats the mouth almost completely, mildly roasty, sweet liquor up front, mild fruitiness, chocolate and fudge on the palate. An awesome beer.

From 03/03/12 notes. Huge thanks to ygtbsm94 for sharing this one; thanks Brad! Finally getting to try this one as it didn't make it to the Hunahpu tasting last month. I believe it was bottle 61/84 but I forgot to write down the bottle number so someone at the tasting let me know if that's wrong. Poured into a tulip.

a - Pours a pitch black color with one finger of fluffy dark tan head and light to moderate carbonation evident. Very thick, looks like the normal version, and like a great big stout.

s - Smells of chocolate, roasted malts, cocoa, vanilla, spice, light brandy, oak, light fruit, and light coffee. Really nice nose, with a ton of chocolate which I love. No sense of the chili peppers, just still awesome.

m - Full bodied stout and low carbonation. Very smooth and creamy, this one is easy to drink and not hot at all at this point.

o - Overall I thought this was a fantastic stout; I think it's the best of all the Hunahpu variants. I think it's drinking perfect right now too; I'd say if you have one dirnk it now. Would love to have it again.

The beer pours a black color with a huge brown head. The aroma has a ton of chocolate in it, as well as some roasted malt, oak and brandy. The flavor is similar. Upfront I get a ton of sweet apple brandy notes, with some chocolate and roasted malt coming through as well. I get a hint of spiciness and pepper, but the brandy and chocolate come through the strongest. Thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Awesome.

This was the first beer I ever took notes on...and still one of the best beers I have ever had...Served on-tap into a mini snifter at Capone's during the Cigar City party for Philly Beer Week 2010...wow that was a lot of words...

A - Pours absolutely pitch black with a small dark brown head that leaves sticky brown lacing down most of the glass.

S - A bit on the sweet side with a strong aroma of brandy. A bit of chocolate and some sort of spices? Could that be the chillies from the non-BA version? I might need another glass to determine if it is...

T - Starts out with some mild sweetness from the apple brandy slowly developing into an amazing line-up of cinnamon, chocolate, and some faint spices. Most of the things I don't like about the normal version of hunahpu's are all cleared up with the barrel aging. Absolutely one of the best stouts I have ever had. I can only hope to have it again in the future.

M - Heavy body and flavor with good carbonation. It has a very full body but it is very well rounded. The brandy flavor is strong but not too overpowering.

D - I could drink this all day. I drank it side by side with regular version and it was like drinking a completely different beer. This one was so much more complex and smooth. Absolutely amazing. So glad I got to try this one.

Big thanks to CaptinRedBeard for sharing this on 4/2/11. Normal Hunahpu packaging but dipped in gold wax and a sticker on the neck: bottle 36/84. Poured into a snifter, this brew appears nearly black in color with a dark brown head about a finger strong. Spotty lace sticks to the glass. A light swirl revives the cap.

The aroma of this brew is lightly citrus-like from the hot pepper inclusion in the brew mingled lightly with hops. Lots of fresh chocolate scents that seem to be more cocoa than malty. The apple inclusion is sweet smelling almost caramelized along with a spicy tingle to the back of the nose partially from the abv and pepper's contribution.

The taste of the brew is strong with cocoa and coffee. There is a strong candy apple sweetness upfront that blends into chocolate flavors that are somewhat reminiscent of brownie batter. There is a citrus component throughout from the inclusion of peppers and a spicy warmth in the back of the throat. The spiced aspect meshes perfectly with the warmth of the alcohol and the roastiness of the malt.

This is a medium to full bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. It is lightly prickly on the tongue and quite warming with alcohol and spices. This brew is easy drinking and deeply complex. There is such a deep amount of flavors in this brew and none of them are over-powering. I wouldn't change anything about this brew, I love it and it's one of the best I ever had. I honestly hope Cigar City considers remaking this on a larger scale because more people need to have the chance to try it or at the very least I would love to have it again! Thank you again for sharing Corey.

Pours a small tan head. This beer is motor oil black. Very thick. A swirl around the glass and it coats it with beer.

Aroma: There is so much going on with this beer. Deep roasted malts, coffee, chocolate, chipotle peppers, caramel, vanilla. It is sweet. The brandy adds an awesome layer of complexity to this beer. Oak shows as well.

Taste: Right up front is the chipotle peppers. Then some vanilla and caramel with cocoa and roasted malts. Coffee flavors hit with some brandy and oak next. Then a mix of dark fruits (dried apples), and molasses hit. Very rich.

Pours a viscous dark chocolate with ruby tinges and a surprisingly large dark mocha head. Fades to a thin collar with minimal lacing. Smooth blend of barrel and light spice and vanilla. Aroma is similar to the fresh Hunahpu (which I find too strong and unappealing) with a smooth balancing presence from the brandy. Flavor is mildly sweet, with apple brandy spirit throughout but never dominating or hot. Surprising amount of chilis present since they always seem like the first thing to fall out with age. Slick, medium thick body with low carbonation. Viscous and coats the palate with a long, persistent finish. Wow, this was amazing.

Shared by who else but ygtbsm94. Wow man, thanks for sharing another one of my most highly coveted beers.

Bottle 61 / 84

The beer is black. The appearance is oily and viscous. Atop the beer rests an inch of dense, beige head that hangs out for the duration. Cigar City sure makes some good looking stouts.

The aroma offers less cinnamon and spice than the standard Hunahpu's. Beautiful dark roast and chocolate aromas, along with oak, vanilla, and a light boozy sweetness.

The flavor is fantastic. The brandy character gains momentum as the beer is allowed to warm. Well balanced, teeming with flavor, complex, unique. Yeah man. Another amazing stout from Cigar City. What a treat.

This version of the big ol hunna is black just like all other big stouts, with some light brown edges. Smell is of apple brandy under the base beer with the chilli's remaining in the picture and a touch of vanilla. There is a bit more chocolate & some coffee that I thought would not be as big. Taste includes chilli's mixed in with the brandy finished with a vanilla splash and a touch of alcohol. The green apples are a nice addition and come out big time. With the barrel aging, it's amazing the abv did not go up on this one. Some time brings cocco and roasted coffee and some minimal dark fruit under all that stoutness. The main tastes of the regular kind of get muted under the brandy. Full bodied, carb on the light side taste on the high side. A thick beer that calls for patience with small sips, big stuff here. When all is said and done this is great beer, but the regular is marvelous.